With concerts all over the country and showcases as notable as South by Southwest, Lachi proves again and again that nothing can hold her back. Blind since birth, Lachi was drawn to music at an early age. Today, she leads (and is supported by) blind band members with her heartfelt lyrics and sweet melodies. With her upcoming debut album, it seems nothing can stop Lachi.
Who are some of your influences?
I grew up listening to Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, The Beatles, Bjork, Sublime, Fionna Apple, Yanni, Mozart and Beethoven, and of course Ella, Billy and Nina.
What made you want to learn the piano? Was it something your parents encouraged?
My mother heavily encouraged playing the piano. It was an instrument I’d always been drawn to as a child. She’d gotten a keyboard for my older sister when I was four or so, and I totally commandeered it. I’ve always been sort of a math-head and the affinity of numbers and music particularly piano theory and structure, snagged and held my attention, and drove me into writing music.
When did you start performing your music for other people?
My first performance for an audience was in 11th grade in high school. I performed an original piece for the Drama department’s annual award ceremony. It was then I knew I was a performer.
When did you decide music was the way you wanted to make your living?
After I moved to NYC and began to perform regularly it slowly dawned on me that this is my skill. This is my betterment to society and to myself. This is my calling.
I’ve noticed many of your songs have themes of perseverance. Where does this come from?
Many musicians like to write songs that people can relate to such as love, hate, jealousy, wanting to be rich etc. I figure everyone can relate to struggle and triumph, being the underdog, insecurity, self-acceptance and things that most mainstream musicians steer clear from. I figure, why make something so real and so part of ourselves taboo? My goal is to write about these alternative messages and present them in a mainstream-relatable way.
“Ugly Beautiful” really stood out to me, about accepting people for who they are, perhaps. What was your intention with this one?
Sometimes what makes us appear ugly is what essentially manifests our true beauty. Why hide or change what would make you truly beautiful? We all have an ugly…we all have a beautiful…we should equally embrace and accept both.
Looking on lachimusic.com, I noticed you have several performances lined up, including one atJoe’s Pub in NYC on July 22nd to promote your upcoming self-titled release. Are there any other gigs you want people to watch out for?
We will be touring the region in Boston and PA among others right after the release, so anyone interested should check out myspace.com/lachimusic for tour updates. Announcements are also made on Twitter (twitter.com/ulachi) and Facebook (facebook.com/lachimusic) as well.
If you could name one musician who you’d love to go on tour with, which would it be?
I think it would be a fun, quirky match to tour with Regina Spektor. We both play the piano, feel we have something to say, and have weird accents that we embrace when we sing.
What advice would you give aspiring songwriters?
Always stay true to yourself. Write what makes you happy and whole within you, and if that sells, that’s awesome. But don’t tweak yourself to fit what “the man” tells you; you must do or be. At the end of the day, you are still you, a person, a human being…and when it all eventually dissolves and you are alone with yourself, don’t have compromised your being or have regretted any of your decisions.
Lachi’s self-titled, major label debut album set for release on July 27th.